Wireless devices, such as cellular phones and the like, are frequently operated by battery power and are small enough to be easily carried along by a user of the wireless device. The small size of these devices places battery capacity at a premium and techniques to reduce battery consumption greatly increase the usable time for these wireless devices. Various operating modes for wireless devices affect power consumption, such as ringer mode, backlight operation, and so forth. Automatic detection of conditions that allow the operating mode of a wireless device to be changed to reduce power consumption without adversely affecting the usability of the wireless device can be used to extend battery life in such wireless devices.
One condition under which wireless devices can be placed into a lower power consumption mode is when the wireless device is placed into a holster. Wireless devices frequently include a holster that is adapted to the case of the wireless device and allows a user to store the wireless device in the holster when the wireless device is not in use. Automatic detection of placing the wireless device in the holster and alteration of the wireless device's operating mode when in the holster is one means for automatically reducing power consumption. Prior art techniques of sensing placement of the wireless device into the holster include placing electronic contact features or a magnet in the holster and providing sensing equipment in the wireless device to detect these features or magnet when the wireless device is placed in the holster. This requires specialized construction of the holster and of the wireless device, reducing design flexibility for those devices. Additional parts in the holster and in the wireless device, such as the electronic contact features, magnet, and special sensors, are needed for such a prior art application, regrettably adding significant costs and manufacturing and maintenance complexities to any such solution.